FILNER PLEDGES OPENNESS

San Diego’s mayor-elect seeks cooperation after bitter campaign against DeMaio

Filner campaigned on a populist message of taking the power away from developers and lobbyists and putting it in the hands of working people and neighborhoods. Critics point to the millions of dollars in campaign support he’s received from labor unions and worry he’ll favor their interests over other taxpayers.

Filner, who is the city’s oldest elected mayor at age 70, demonstrated just how different his administration would be by selecting the Old Trolley Barn Park in University Heights for his victory speech before reporters. He said the location epitomized the types of neighborhoods that have long been ignored in favor of the downtown business establishment.

“I want to make clear that I don’t think the people who elected me elected a status quo administration,” Filner said. “They elected an administration that’s going to change things. We have a diversity in this city that has simply not been tapped by those who have had control and power. Whether it’s people of color, whether it’s neighborhoods that have been neglected in terms of their infrastructure, whether it’s women, whether it’s those who care about education, whether it’s those who care about arts, whether it’s those who care about affordable housing and public transportation, they have not been asked to participate in the political and economic decisions of this city. We’re going to ask them.”

Filner made several announcements Wednesday. He has tapped Allen Jones, a chief of staff to Filner during his stint on the City Council in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to lead his transition team. His first hire will be former City Councilwoman Donna Frye, who will serve as his director of open government. And Filner plans to hold court in the City Hall lobby three Saturdays every month to listen to the concerns of citizens.

Current Mayor Jerry Sanders, who endorsed DeMaio over Filner, also called the mayor-elect to congratulate him.

“He’s a longtime San Diegan and my hope is that he will continue to move our city forward with the kinds of reforms that have fueled San Diego’s turnaround,” Sanders said in a statement. “I wish him all the best and look forward to working with him to ensure a smooth transition.”

DeMaio pointed to the 13-point edge in voter registration between the city’s Democrats (40.5 percent) and Republicans (27.1 percent) and a wave of Democratic voters akin to the 2008 election as possible explanations for his defeat. He deflected questions about his political future by saying his immediate goals were to get some sleep and thank his supporters.

“This may be the end of a campaign, but this is not the end of my involvement in serving this great city that I love,” DeMaio said. “I care so much about our city’s future and I absolutely am convinced that we must continue to reform city finances and that means full implementation of the pension reform initiative that we worked so hard in this campaign to qualify and pass. And that’s why I intend to stay fully engaged in helping — helping safeguard taxpayers, helping our city officials make our city government work again in every neighborhood.”